Apple is reportedly working on new iPhone designs that feature bigger screens
with curved glass

A person familiar with the plans told Bloomberg that two models planned for release in the second half of next year would feature larger displays with glass that curves downward at the edges.

The screens are said to be 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, making the two new models Apple’s largest iPhones. Sensors that can distinguish heavy or light touches on the screen may be incorporated into subsequent models, the person said.

The news comes after both Samsung and LG unveiled their own curved-screen smartphones last month. The LG G Flex and Samsung Galaxy Round are both designed to mirror the curvature of the user's face and make the devices more comfortable to hold.

Samsung's and LG's curved phones are only available in the South Korean market as the companies seek to gauge consumer appetite.

“There has been quite a bit of talk about the coming wave of curved smartphone screens, however there has not been a lot of talk about what we will be able to do with them," said technology Industry analyst Jeff Kagan.

"That must be the focus of both the media relations and public relations efforts of companies going forward. Currently there are many more questions than answers."

Apple broke with tradition in September when it launched two versions of the iPhone simultaneously – the iPhone 5s with a 64-bit processor and fingerprint sensor and the iPhone 5c with a range of brightly coloured plastic cases. Demand for the iPhone 5s has been much greater, and iPhone 5c production has reportedly been reduced.

Last week, Apple announced a deal to open a sapphire glass facility, fuelling rumours the hard material could be used on future smartphones and iPads. Industrial sapphire glass is synthetically created and is so hard that it is shaped by diamond-tipped saws.

Meanwhile, the trend for smartphones with screen sizes of 5 to just under 7 inches, known as 'phablets', continues to grow apace – particularly in Asia/Pacific, where manufacturers shipped 25.2 million of the devices in the second quarter of 2013.